The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-10-27

The appended letter from Hon. w.
w. Corcoran, the distinguished phi
lanthropist of Washington, ID. c., in
response to an invitation to attend the
laying of the corner stone of the Lee
Monument at Richmond, is one of the
highest and most eloquent tributes ever
paid to the exemplary character and
splendid virtues of the great Confed-
crate chieftain. 1t is equally credita
BILE to Mr.. Corcoran's head and heart,
and will be read with a thrill OF pride
and pleasure by every lover of the great
soldier throughout the broad South
land. 1t is an encomium that speaks
to the hearts of the people.
WASHINGTON, Oct. II, 1887.
c. A. BohaHnon, Esq, Secretary, de-:
DEAR SIR:-I have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt OF the obliging
note by which the Confederate vete-
rams of II. E. Lee Camp, No. I, invite
me to participate in the ceremonies in
Cldent to the laying of the cornerstone
of monument to General Robert E.
Lee, at Richmond, Va, Thursday, the
27th instant.
have withheld my reply for many
days in the hope that by my presence
| might give myself the happiness of
bearing witness to the deep interest |
take in your enterprise, and to the
profound reverence | cherish for the
great man and illustrious soldier whose
virtues and whose exploits you seek to
commemorate. | regret to say, how
ever, that the state of nv health,
though improved, is still SO unsteady
as to admonlsh me, at my advanced
age, against the prudence of under
taking journey which involves some
fatigue, and which would be sure to
put some strain on my strength by the
very pleasures promised to me in such
a hospitable city as Richmond.
| must, therefore, most reluctantly
renounce the cherished hope of being
with you on this most interesting oc-
caslon. But though not with you in
person, shall be with you in spirit
and in fullest sympathy with the ad-
miring homage which you bring to the
name and memory of your great coun-
tryman.
1t was my good fortune to have been
honored with the intimate acquaint-
ance and close friendship of Gen. Lee
during the whole period Of his public
career, and whether recall him as he
moved in the social sphere, which he
adorned by his virtues and graces, as
he lowered above his contemporaries
on that higher stage where the lustre
Of his great qualities shone in the eyes
of the whole civilized world, | can
truly say, with no small experience of
my fellowmen, that of all the men |
ever knew he always seemed to me the
most remarkable for the grandeur as
well as for the symmetry of the ele
ments which composed the strength
and beauty of his peerless character,
For such was the natural constitution
and the harmonious blending of these
elements that, in the gentleness and
benignity of his demeal O., he was
seen to be as great in his goodness as
he was good in all his greatness.
| Like all truly great and good men,
General Lee had in the highest degree
that simplicity of character which
springs from purity of heart as well as
from the perfect transparency of a
clear intelligence.
Endowed with an understanding
that was as calm as it was penetrating
, and profound, he always possessed his
soul in a patience which never muir
INJURED, and serenity which was never
ruff1ed, whatever might be the duties
he was summoned to perform or what
, ever might be the perils he was called
to face.
No duty ever found him unprepar.
ed no trial ever shook his steadiasl
!. mind Intrepid in all assaults Of for.
tune, and the very soul of honor, he
, was the Chevalier Bayard of his day
knight without reproach, because IT
him all that was soldierly in conduct
met and mingled with all that was
blameless in life. With an integrity
which rooted itself in the very fibre oI
his moral constitution, and which
. therefore, never gathered spot or stain
. throughout the whole of his long and
eventful career, he yet had not the
slightest trace of vanity or censorious-
ness in his pature, but walked before
men with the modesty and humility
) born of deep religious spirit.
1t is not those who knew him well
in all the sincere depths of his mental
and moral being who can account for
the heroism he displayed on the field
OF battle, and the greater heroism be
J! displayed after he had sheathed his
sword and bowed, without repining, to
the decree of an oyerrulIng Provi-
dence.
Although the life and example oi